Brian Ashcraft

Yahoo! Japan is running an auction that will give one lucky winner the chance to virtual pilot the one-to-one scale Gundam in Tokyo's Odaiba. Don't get too excited just yet.

You don't actually get to sit in the cockpit. The winner will get his or her image displayed on the one-to-one scale's virtual cockpit. Thus, the lucky winner will need to provide pictures so the Gundam wizards can insert him or her onto the cockpit screen.

Did I say "lucky"? I meant wealthy! The auction is currently at close to ¥800,000, which is nearly US$10,000. The money does go to a good cause: rebuilding those areas hit hardest by the Tohoku Earthquake.